Members and friends of St. Paul’s Lutheran church participated for the first time in service for “God’s Work, Our Hands” Sunday. We got our hands in the dirt of a local park in our town of Frankfort, Indiana; one that was well used but had passed its prime.

So we loaded up our trowels, hoses, weed-eaters, rakes, hoes, wheelbarrows, paints, flowers and plants, and spent the day, beginning with a short service, in freshening and beautifying certain areas of the park. The community, and especially the surrounding neighborhood were invited to join us through the use of flyers and a newspaper announcement. Our local Parks Department was delighted and helpful by providing their suggestions, picnic tables and trash cans.

There was plenty of opportunity for service in different areas, as we also provided two craft stations for children to paint and decorate flower pots to take home, make their hand prints into flowerpot picks, and participate in a brief lesson with coloring opportunities.

In another area of the park, chalk and space was available for chalk art. Others concentrated on providing a light lunch and drinks, offered just at the right time for a boost of energy. And, gratefully, the weather on September 7 was absolutely beautiful.

But, for me, the most touching part came at the very end of the day as I was loading up my car with the last of the art supplies. A young girl who had been with me most of the day saw me leaving and rushed up to stop me. She declared excitedly, “I have a statement to make!”. Smiling at her grown-up exclamation, I asked what her statement was. And she said ” I declare this day a success!”  And then we warmly hugged.